Method and apparatus for transporting heavy viscous fluids



April 29, 1958 J. Q. woon x-:rAL 2,832,353

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TRANSPORTING HEAVY VISCOUS FLUIDS Filed June 20. 1955 United itates iiaten fififi Patented Apr. 29, 1958 METHOD AND APPARATUS F OR TRANSPORTING HEAVY VISCOUS FLUIDS James Q. Wood and Lyle V'. Pollock, Eartlesville, Okla., assignors to Phillips Petroleum Company, a corporation of Delaware Application .lune 2t), 1955, Serial No. 516,504

lil Claims. (Cl. IS7-4) This invention relates to a method and apparatus for transporting heavy viscous fluids.

In transporting heavy viscous materials through pipelines, particularly surface pipelines, the pumping rate is oftentimes very slow, and considerable difficulties are encountered during cold weather in transporting the oil through the pipeline at all. This is a particularly serious problem with certain types of highly aromatic petroleum residues which are used in the manufacture of carbon black. The oil normally arrives by tanker at one terminus of the pipeline and is discharged from the other end to furnaces Where it is converted into carbon black by incomplete combustion. Any delay in unloading the tanker causes considerable expense and, of course, interferes with the production of the carbon black. It has been proposed to dilute the heavy oil with large quantities of a lighter material to cause it to become sufficiently fluid to flow properly through the pipeline. However, this is quite eX- pensive, and it has been found that such dilution causes the carbon black to have poor abrasion resistance, low modulus and decreased photelometer reading. Also, the carbon black yield is reduced.

ln accordance with this invention, the pipeline is maintained full of a light oil or material, such as a cycle oil, and this material is displaced from the pipeline as the heavy oil enters one end thereof. Advantageously, during periods of low ambient temperature, the light oil is displaced with a quantity of heated light oil before the pumping of the heavy oil begins. ln this manner, the heavy oil is readily transported through the pipeline to the storage facilities at the end remote from the loading end, the pipeline being again lled with the light oil after pumping of the heavy oil has terminated. ln this manner, setting up of the heavy oil in the pipeline is prevented, and the pipeline itself is protected from corrosion.

When operating in this manner, the heavy oil withdrawn from the pipeline contains a very small quantity, say 1 to 2 percent, of light oil, and this is fed to the carbon black reactors. Surprisingly, the inclusion of this small amount of light oil produces a substantialimprovement in the pelleting characteristics of the carbon black without appreciable impairment of yield, abrasion resistance, and photelorneter reading.

`Further, in some cases, it is advantageous to strip Water from the transported oil before it is passed to the carbon black furnaces. Where this is done, the overhead from the flash tower can advantageously be fed to a phase separator wherein an oil phase is recovered for additional processing.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention `to provide an improved method and apparatusfor transporting heavy viscous materials.

lt is a further object to provide a method of and apparatus for .transporting heavy oils utilized in the manufacture of carbon black, the characteristics of the carbon black actuaily being improved as a result of the transportation procedure.

lt is a still further object provide an efficient eco 2 nomical and reliable way of rapidly unloading heavy oils from tankers and transporting them to storage facilities.

Various other objects, advantages and features of the invention will become apparent from the .following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which the figure is a schematic llow diagram of a transportation system constructed in accordance with invention.

Referring novv to the ligure, we have shown a pipeline lil extending along the surface of the earth from a tanker unloading facility 1i 'to a storage facility 12. In the transportation of the heavy viscous iiuids of the invention, the line is at least two inches in diameter and has a length of 1,5% to 60,000 feet, although these factors may be varied in special applications. An oil storage tank 13 is connected to one end 11i of the pipeline by a pipe 15 having a valve i6, a pump 17, a steam heater 13 connected in series therein, there being .a valved return line 19. A similar storage tank 2i) is provided at the other end 21 o'f the pipeline, and it is connected to the pipeline by a valved pipe 22 including a pump 23, and a steam heater 2li, with a valved return line 25.

A valved outlet line 26 extends from the end 21 of the pipeline and is connected by a valved line 27 to the top of the tank 20 and by valved lines 23, 29 and Si) to oil storage tanks 31 and 3?., respectively. p

Oil is Withdrawn from the tanks 3l and 32 through lines 33 and 34 in which steam heaters 35 and E26 are connected, respectively. A line 37 connects both heaters to a pump 38 which, in turn, discharges into a surge tank 39. Branching from the pump outlet is a recirculation line Lit) which can be connected by valved lines 41 Vand Il?. to the respective storage tanks 31 and 32. From the surge tank 39, the oil flows through a line liti, a steam heater 45 and a pump i6 to one or more of a series 47 of valved iniet lines leading to carbon black furnaces, a return line being provided from the lines to the surge tank.

Line 44 is further connected by a valved line i9 and a heater Sti to an intermediate region of a flash tower 51 having a steam coil S2 at the bottom thereof. A line 53 connects the bottom of the tower 5l to the intake of the pump d6, and a line ifi-fi connects the top of the tower 51 to a phase separator vessel 55 from which an aqueous phase can be withdrawn through line 56 and an oil phase relluxed to the tower 53 through a valved line Sii or returned to the intake of the pump 5ft through a valved line 59.

In operation, the pipeline 10 is filled with a light oil, such as a light gas oil, heavy cycle oil or light cycle oil, the latter materials being advantageous in that they tend to dissolve heavy solidified materials accumulating at the interior Walls of the pipeline. In some applications, kerosene or gasoline can be used as the light oil, and the material can be suitably condensed if its vapor pressure is too high. The light oil has an APl gravity within the range of 20 to 45, preferably 2O to 26, and a flash point of at least F., preferably 175 to 246 F.

Under conditions of low ambient temperature, i. e., below the pour point of the heavy oil, this light oil origi` nally maintained in the pipeline is displaced with a heated light oil of the same composition before the pumping operation hereinafter described is started. When `this is done, for example, the cold light oil can be displaced into tank 13 by heated light oil introduced into the end 2l of the pipeline from storage tank 2li at a temperature of 100 to F.

With the pipeline filled with heated or cool light oil, depending `upon the ambient temperature, heavy oil is introduced into the end ifi of the pipeline from the tanker unloading facilities in making carbon black, a heavy highly petroleum residue a Sayholt .ihucl The heavy oil is introduced into the pipeline i let at a pressure of 70 to 140 pounds per square inch g^uge prefge and erably at 100 to 120 pounds per square inch gan at a temperature of l20 to 250 F. Due to the previous introduction of the light oil, pumping rates of 2500 to 3000 barrels per hour can be readily obtained.

As the heavy oil is forced into the pipeline, it displaccs the light oil which is withdrawn and passed to storage tank 20. When the last of the light oil has heen displaced, the heavy oil is withdrawn from the pipeline and passed to one of the storage vessels 3l or 32, alter which the pipeline is iilled with light oil which remains therein until the next pumping cycle. During the pumping operation, the last portion of heavy oil is displaced from the pipeline by light oil fed into the end ld from storage tank T13.

When applied to the manufacture of carbon black, the oil is withdrawn as required from tanl; 3l or 32, heated, and passed through the charge oil tank to the carbon black furnaces. Due to its passage through the pipeline, the heavy oil contains from 0.2 to 5 percent of light oil, normally 0.5 to 1.3 percent. Surprisingly, this admixture improves the pelleting characteristics of the carbon black to a substantial degree as compared to theA pelleting characteristics of black made from the heavy oil alone, and has substantially no adverse effect upon the yield, abrasion resistance, modulus and photelometer reading.

Where the oil contains appreciable quantities of water, it is introduced into the flash tower 1 wherein the oil is withdrawn through line 53 and passed to the carbon black furnaces through inlet lines 47, the overhead passing to phase separater 55 where an aqueous phase and an oil phase are formed, the water phase being removed through the line En. Part of the oil phase is returned to the top of the ilash tower, and the rest is introduced to the intake of the heater 50.

On a cold dry day with an ambient temperature of 30 F., a 10,000-ton tanker of heavy aromatic petroleum residue having viscosities at 90 F. and 130 F., respectively of 8000 SUS and 1313 SUS and a pour point of 55 F., arrived at the unloading facilities. These were connected by a 14,000-foot inl-inch pipeline to carbon blackconversion oil storage tanks.

The pipeline had previously been filled with a light gas oil of 23 All-ll gravity (oils in the range of 20-26 Alai gravity are suitable for this service) from storage tank 13. This cold oil was forced out of the pipeline and replaced by hot ilush oil from the storage tank 2d beginning about twohours before the tanker docked. Thev flush oil was heated to G-150 F. prior to pumping into the pipeline by a heater characterized by a steam heat exchanger on a recirculation system.

Since the capacityk 'of the pipeline was approximately 2800 barrels, a pumping rate of 2500 to 3000 barrels per hour was sufficient to clear the pipeline of cold oil in approximately yone hour and replace it with hot oil. Another hour was required to rell the heated pipeline with hot oil at 12S-150 F., which maintained the pipeline above 100 F.

The steam facilities on the tanker were su'llcient to supply 175 F. residual oil at pressures of 10C-d20 p. s. i. g. to the pipeline (other tankers have facilities capable of delivering 1Z0-180 F. residual oil at 100--120 pounds per square inch gauge). This oil was pumped into the heated pipeline at a rate of 2500 barrels per hour and.

arrived at the storage facilities at 30-40 pounds per square inch gauge pressure and at a temperature of approximately 122 This rate was maintained for approximately 14 hours, whence a change in atmospheric conditions because of rain at 30 F. reduced the arrival head pressure to 20 pounds per square inch gauge and necessitated reduction in the pumping rate to 2200 barrels per hour for approximately i0 hours, after which the original rate was resumed.

this manner the 10,090-ton tanker was unloaded in 26 hours under adverse conditions, which is only slightly slower than the 20 hours calculated as required, to unload under ideal summer conditions. When the tanker was empty, flush oil was pumped into the line behind the residual oil from storage tank i3 to clear the line and leave a linc full of flush oil to minimize corrosion and provide ease of start-up of the next unloading operation.

At the storage facilities the residual oil and flush oil were separated. The residual oil, now called carbon black conversion oil, contains approximately 1 percent of flush oil, which in subsequent operations, tended Ato improve the pelleting characteristics of the carbon black produced from the conversion oil. As the llush oil uecomes mixed with residual oil, it .is the practice to remove a portion of the mixture with the conversion loil and to replace the removed oil by an occasional receipt of a shipment of 'llush oil to storage tank 13.

it will be evident that we have achieved the objects of our invention in providing an improved transportation system ior heavy viscous lluids,particularly aromatic oils used in the manufacture of carbon black. Raiv id transportation through the pipeline is achieved, even under conditions of low ambie-nt temperature, and the properties of the oil for the manufacture of cari n black are actually improved by the presence of small entages of light oil. Moreover, water is advantageously removed from the oil, and the system ensures that the pipeline is ready to use at all times without the possibility of heavy oil or other material setting up therein.

While the invention has been described in connection with present, preferred embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that this description is illustrative only and is not intended to limit the invention.

We claim:

1. Process of transporting a heavy viscous lluid through a pipeline which comprises filling a pipeline with a light llowable fluid, introducing the heavy fluid to be transported into one end of the pipeline, thus displacing thc light iluid, withdrawing the displaced light luid from the other end of the pipeline, withdrawing the heavy fluid from said other end of the pipeline after all of the light lluid has been displaced, and refilling the pipeline with light fluid after the heavy fluid has been withdrawn therefrom, `said last-mentioned light iluid displacing the last of the heavy fluid from the pipeline.

2. The method of transporting a heavy viscous material through a pipeline which comprises `filling the pipeline with a light flowable fluid, displacing said light tluid with heated fluid of the same composition, introducing the heavy fluid into one end of the pipeline to displace the heated light fluid, withdrawing light lluid thus displaced from the other end of the pipeline and there storing it, withdrawing heavy lluid from said other end ot' the pipeline after all of the light fluid has been displaced, and introducing additional light lluid into said one end of the pipeline to displace the heavy uid, the last-mentioned light fluid remaining in the pipeline until a subsequent pumping operation.

3. The method of transporting a heavy viscous petroleum oil having a Saybolt Furol viscosity within the range of 250 at 122 F. and 1500 at 210 F. which comprises lling a pipeline with a light oil having an A'tl gravity within the 4range of 20 to 45 and a flash point of at least F., introducing the heavy oil to be transported linto one end of the pipeline thus displacing the light oil, withdrawing the displaced light oil from the other end of the pipeline and there storing the displaced material, withdrawing the heavy oil from said other end of the pipeline after all of the light oil has been displaced, and refilling the pipeline with light oil after the heavy oil has 'been withdrawn therefrom, said last-mentioned light liuid displacing the last of the heavy fluid from the pipeline.

4. The method of transporting a heavy viscous petroleum oil having a Saybolt Furol viscosity within the range of 250 at 122 F. and 1500 at 210 F. which comprises lling a pipeline with a light oil having an API gravity within the range of 20 to 45 and a liash point of at least 100 F., displacing said light oil with heated oil of the same composition, introducing the heavy oil into one end of the pipeline to displace the heated light oil, withdrawing light oil thus displaced from the other end of the pipeline and there storing it, withdrawing heavy oil from said other end of the pipeline after all of the light oil has been displaced, and introducing additional light oil into said one end of the pipeline to displace the heavy oil, the last-mentioned light oil remaining in the pipeline until a subsequent pumping operation.

5. The method of transporting a heavy viscous petroleum oil, said oil having a Saybolt Furol viscosity within the range of 250 at 122 F. and 1500 at 210 F. which comprises lilling a pipeline with a light oil having an API gravity within the range of 20 to 45 and a iash point of at least 100 F., introducing the heavy oil to be transported into one end of the pipeline thus displacing the light oil, withdrawing the displaced light oil from the other end of the pipeline and there storing the displaced material, withdrawing the heavy oil from said other end of the pipeline after all of the light oil has been displaced, reintroducing the stored light oil into said other end of the pipeline after the heavy oil has been withdrawn therefrom, said last-mentioned light uid displacing the last of the heavy liuid from the pipeline, said heavy oil being adapted to form carbon black having improved pelleting properties due to inclusion of a small amount of said light oil with the heavy oil charge.

6. The method of transporting a heavy viscous petroleum oil having a Saybolt Furol viscosity within the range of 250 at 122 F. and 1500 at 210 F. which comprises filling a pipeline with a light oil having an API gravity within the range of 20 to 45 and a flash point of at least 100 F., introducing the heavy oil to be transported into one end of the pipeline, thus displacing the light oil, withdrawing the displaced light oil from the other end of the pipeline and there storing the displaced material, withdrawing the heavy oil from said other end of the pipeline after all of the light oil has been displaced, introducing the withdrawn heavy oil into a tlash zone, supplying heat to said ash zone to separate an overhead Y water product from the oil, said heavy oil being capable of forming carbon black having superior pelleting properties by virtue of containing 0.2 to 5 percent of said light oil due to admixture in the pipeline, condensing the overhead product from said flash zone, separating the condensed material into a water phase and an oil phase, and returning the oil phase to the tiash zone.

7. The method of transporting a heavy viscous petroleum oil having a Saybolt Furol viscosity within the range of 250 at 122 F. and 1500 at 210 F. which comprises filling a pipeline with a light oil having an API gravity within the range of 20 to 45 and a flash point of at least 100 F., said pipeline having a length of 1,500 to 60,000 feet with a pipe diameter of at least two inches, displacing said light oil with oil of a similar composition heated to a temperature within the range of 100 to 150 F., introducing said heavy oil into one end of the pipeline at a rate .of 2500 to 3000 barrels per hour at a temperature of 120 to 250 F. and a pressure of 70 to 140 pounds per square inch gauge, withdrawing the heated light oil from the other end of the pipeline as it is displaced by the heavy oil and there storing it, withdrawing heavy oil containing 0.5 to 1.3 percent of the light oil from said other end of the pipeline after the light oil has been displaced, and displacing the last quantities of said heavy oil with light oil introduced into said one end of the pipeline.

8. The method of transporting a heavy viscous petroleum oil having a Saybolt Furol viscosity within the range of 250 at 122 F. and 1,500 at 210 F. which comprises filling a pipeline with a light oil having an API gravity within the range of 20 to 45 and a flash point of at least F., said pipeline having a length of 1,500 to 60,000 feet with a pipe diameter of at least two inches, displacing said light oil with oil of a smiliar composition heated to a temperature within the range of 100 to 150 F., introducing said heavy oil into one end of the pipeline at a rate of 2,500 to 3,000 barrels per hour at a temperature of to 250 F., and a pressure of 70 to pounds per square inch gauge, withdrawing the heated light oil from the other end of the pipeline as it is displaced by the heavy oil and there storing it, withdrawing heavy oil containing 0.5 to 1.3 percent of the light oil from said other end of the pipeline after the light oil has been displaced, displacing the last quantities of said heavy oil with light oil introduced into said one end of the pipeline, introducing the withdrawn heavy oil into a ash zone, supplying heat to said liash zone to separate an overhead water product from the oil, said withdrawn heavy oil being capable of forming carbon black having superior pelleting properties due to inclusion of 0.2 to 5 percent of said light oil due to admixture in the pipeline, condensing the overhead product from said flash zone, separating the condensed material into a water phase and an oil phase, and returning the oil phase to the liash zone.

9. Apparatus for transporting fluids which comprises, in combination, a pipeline having a diameter of at least two inches and a length of 1,500 to 60,000 feet, an oil storage tank at each end of the pipeline, two pipes connecting the tanks with the respective ends of the pipeline, a first heater and pump connected in series bypassing a portion of one of said pipes, a second heater and pump connected in series bypassing a portion of the other of said pipes, a separate oil storage tank located adjacent one end of the pipeline, and a pipe connecting said lastmentioned oil storage tank to said pipeline.

10. Apparatus for transporting fluids which comprises, in combination, a pipeline having a diameter of at least two inches and a length of 1,500 to 60,000 feet, an oil storage tank at each end of the pipeline, two pipes connecting the tanks with the respective ends of the pipeline, a first heater and pump connected in series bypassing a portion of one of said pipes, a second heater and pump connected in series bypassing a portion of the other of said pipes, a separate adjacent oil storage tank located adjacent one end of the pipeline, and a pipe connecting said adjacent oil storage tank to said pipeline, an oil surge tank, a line including a pump and heater connecting said adjacent oil storage tank to said surge tank, a liash tower, a line connecting said surge tank to an intermediate region of said tower, a phase separator connected to the top of said tower, a source of heat connected to the bottorn of said tower, and an outlet line connected to the bottom of said tower.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,031,018 Thomas Feb. 18, 1936 2,058,355 Riney et al. Oct. 20, 1936 2,453,708 Hughes Nov. 16, 1948 2,671,051 Moore Mar. 2, 1954 

1. PROCESS OF TRANSPORTING A HEAVY VISCOUS FLUID THROUGH A PIPELINE WHICH COMPRISES FILLING A PIPELINE WITH A LIGHT
 9. APPARATUS FOR TRANSPORTING FLUIDS WHICH COMPRISES, IN COMBINATION, A PIPELINE HAVING A DIAMETER OF AT LEAST TWO INCHES AND A LENGTH OF 1,500 TO 60,000 FEET, AN OIL STORAGE TANK AT EACH END OF THE PIPELINE, TWO PIPES CONNECTING THE TANKS WITH THE RESPECTIVE ENDS OF THE PIPELINE, A FIRST HEATER AND PUMP CONNECTED IN SERIES BYPASSING A PORTION OF ONE OF SAID PIPES, A SECOND HEATER AND PUMP CONNECTED IN SERIES BYPASSING A PORTION OF THE OTHER OF SAID PIPES, A SEPARATE OIL STORAGE TANK LOCATED ADJACENT ONE END OF THE PIPELINE, AND A PIPE CONNECTING SAID LASTMENTIONED OIL STORAGE TANK TO SAID PIPELINE. 